


First Thing Friday Morning (You & Me & Us)

by wheezemadejaway



Category: Buzzfeed: Worth It (Web Series)
Genre: Complicated Relationships, Friendship/Love, M/M, Mild possible beginnings of Worthage a Trois if you squint at it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2019-02-10 02:37:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12902148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wheezemadejaway/pseuds/wheezemadejaway
Summary: They’ve moved office buildings a couple times since they started sitting next to each other, but for the most part their morning routine has stayed pretty much consistent. At least until lately.





	First Thing Friday Morning (You & Me & Us)

**Author's Note:**

> This wouldn't get out of my head so I took a small break from the Japan 2017 series to indulge myself. 
> 
> I love and appreciate Adam Bianchi.
> 
> Some beta work from my lovely Friend A.

They’ve moved office buildings a couple times since they started sitting next to each other, but for the most part their morning routine has stayed pretty much consistent. At least until lately.

Adam gets to his desk by 8:30am. He boots up his computer, checks his e-mails (a couple new project ideas from some people he’s been collaborating with hidden within a stack of 20 or so that he deletes right away) and makes something warm to drink (Earl Grey tea no sugar since he’d rather not spend his calories on a fancy latte from the machine in the kitchen). There aren’t many other people in the office so early— Niki’s around sometimes, and if she is they’ll do some light gossiping, but she’s not in yet today. For the most part the office is empty, which Adam appreciates.

At just before nine o’clock Andrew arrives, with his messenger bag hanging off his shoulder as precariously as always. He’s also got both hands full. There’s a fancy artisanal coffee in one hand while the other is juggling whatever junk he’s too lazy to properly stow away in his bag, which appears to be his laptop and some USB cables for his camera.

“‘Morning.” It’s one simple word, one that Adam has always greeted Andrew with, but that today he’s careful to say loud and clear so Andrew’s sure to hear.

“Hey man,” Andrew replies as he plops his things down to get situated. His voice is deep and smooth, rested, and Andrew accompanies the greeting with a receptive nod of his head. Andrew’s in a good mood.

Despite the initial chaos factor of his arrival (Andrew’s good at juggling five things at once, but no one’s perfect so Adam just knows that one of these days that coffee is going to spill), Andrew’s ready to start his day, which says a lot because Andrew hates mornings. He looks presentable, too, his hair neatly styled and his clothes well-laundered and well-fitting. He’s a professional in an environment where it’s not uncommon for people to roll in disheveled and hungover.

They’re shooting out on location today. Andrew never used to spend extra time on his appearance when they first started working together, but in the last few months, especially, that’s changed. Maybe Andrew’s just more conscious about how he looks now that he’s supposed to be a hip and with it food critic instead of the Creepy Buzzfeed Guy™.

Or maybe it’s something else.

Adam tracks Andrew’s movements from the corners of his eyes but keeps his head positioned towards his monitor. He watches Andrew organize his workspace and waits for the tiny, self-satisfied smile that Andrew allows himself once everything’s set in the right place.

Seeing it sends a surge of warmth through Adam’s chest. He sits up just a little bit straighter. It’s special, Andrew’s smile. Off-camera Andrew often doesn’t let what he’s feeling play out on his face, and as an infamous poker-facer himself, Adam appreciates Andrew’s restraint. Catching Andrew smiling is sort of like being entrusted with a secret, with something rare and valuable.

Adam focuses back on his computer screen, swallowing the dryness from his throat.

He clicks open a project he’s helping to edit as favor to Evan Ghang. Evan bribed him with some delicious Korean sweets, and, well, Adam’s not too hard to convince, especially when a friend’s in need.

Plus, it gives him more excuses to stay seated next to Andrew instead of having to get up and socialize.

It’s great being deskmates with Andrew. It’s great being friends with Andrew. Andrew’s, well… Andrew’s _great_.

Probably best not to examine this line of thought too closely, not so early in the day.

The noisy just-after-nine-o’clock crowd begins pouring in. Several co-workers are milling about in the lounge area behind them, and every once in awhile Adam or Andrew offers a nod to a passerby. Mostly, though, the two of them are already concentrating on their work.

Steven enters the building with a few other stragglers at approximately 9:10. His laughter carries all the way from the downstairs atrium.

Andrew shoots Adam a wry grimace as he picks up his headphones, but he’s got a flicker in his eyes, too, a flicker that Andrew’s seen a thousand times, but that seems to happen a lot more lately where Steven is concerned.

Adam is pretty sure that the expression doesn’t mean what Andrew wants to have him think it means. Andrew’s not as annoyed by Steven as he pretends to be. Though it’s petty, jealous-sounding, even, it kind of stings.

It’s not like Andrew’s not allowed to have other friends. It’s not like Andrew’s not allowed to like Steven.

Stupid that it bothers him so much, that he’s constantly comparing himself with Steven, who is his friend, too, and who has been nothing but a good guy since they started working together for the _Worth It_ project more than a year ago.

He should be seeing Steven as a positive addition to the equation, but somehow with Steven around, what should be a simple 1+1+1=3 turns into complex calculus.

Adam forces a smile that doesn’t go past his lips and Andrew slides on his headphones.

It’s just in time, because heavy footsteps sound on the stairs and Steven’s bounding up into their space. He launches himself between them, his hands landing on their shoulders, fingers pinching at their shirt collars. “Hi guys!”

Steven’s forgotten how to use his inside voice. Again.

“Hey,” they both return in unison. Andrew doesn’t take his eyes away from his computer screen, but Adam acknowledges Steven with a brief nod. He doesn’t want to be mean to Steven, it’s just that Steven’s energy needs some reigning in sometimes. That’s all. Really.

So why are his guts twisting?

Adam looks to Andrew again instinctively, trying to gauge his face for a reaction, but Andrew’s put his guard is up and his expression is unreadable. Adam’s cheek twitches. There’s only one reason that he can think of for Andrew to turn off his emotions like this. Andrew’s trying to hide how he feels.

Could it be that Andrew’s cold because he cares— too much, maybe— for Steven?

Adam has to stop himself from frowning.

“How are you gentlemen on this _beau_ tiful Friday?” Steven asks, leaning in and resting his chin on Andrew’s shoulder, which Andrew automatically circles back to shrug Steven off. Steven’s not deterred. He pouts before breaking into a huge grin, grabbing the band of Andrew’s headphones and pulling down until they’re resting unhelpfully at the base of Andrew’s neck. “You ready for our location today?”

“Got a lot to get done before we leave at 11,” Andrew’s tone is flat. He’s looking straight ahead still, minimizing his interaction with Steven as much as possible. “Right, Adam?”

“Uh, yeah…”

Steven can barely finish sighing dramatically before his smile returns. “Fine, fine. Meet you in the parking garage at 10:45?”

“‘Kay,” Andrew nods as he continues to scan through an unimportant looking email.

There’s a pause, long and almost unbearable where Adam can’t but help watch Steven watch Andrew. The breath that Steven exhales from his nose sounds like momentary disappointment, but it’s so faint that Adam almost second-guesses it as a figment of his own imagination. Steven puffs out his chest and plasters on a huge smile onto his face, meeting Adam’s gaze.

Steven laughs without making any noise at all as he raises an eyebrow.

It must just last a second, but Adam feels lost in the weight of Steven’s eyes.

Steven’s so obvious. He wants Andrew’s attention so much. As much as Adam does, except he’s so much more open about it. Enough that Andrew has to notice. Enough that he wants Adam to notice, too.

Adam holds his breath, heart pounding fast in his chest until Steven opens his mouth breaks the moment with an enthusiastic “see ya later, Adam!”

Steven winks—actually winks— glancing from Adam to the back of Andrew’s head, and Adam’s face is suddenly embarrassingly warm. He wants to hide his face, wants to put his head down, but any movement he makes is only going to draw attention. Instead, he bites at the inside of his lip and tries to will the heat away.

And just like that, Steven bounces off to his own work space and leaves Adam and Andrew alone. There’s a good, long moment where neither of Adam or Andrew moves, but finally Andrew turns to Adam, hazel eyes searching Adam’s face but giving no indication that he’s noticed how flustered Adam’s feeling.

Adam can’t miss the blotchy red patches that have spread across Andrew’s cheekbones. Oh, Andrew’s blushing, too. He rubs at his forehead and grits his teeth before letting out a long sigh.

“Thanks for keeping me sane.”

“Huh?” Adam blinks, his face burning even hotter, but Andrew shakes his head and starts back at his work, hitching his headphones back over his ears before hitting reply to an email and beginning to peck away at his keyboard. 

It takes Adam a solid minute to do the same.

He’s got Evan Ghang’s project to work on. He needs to get it done before they leave.

But his fingers feel numb and heavy when he clicks with his mouse, heavier still as he control-z’s his last few edits in an effort to recollect his composure.

What is this, this weird energy between the three of them that’s messing with the way that things have always been?

More importantly, what’s he going to do about it?


End file.
